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T O P I C R E V I E W

divemaster

Picked up a resin version of Discovery from 2001: A Space Odyssey, produced by Planet X. Parts look crisp and clean with view air bubbles on first viewing.

They say it will be about 18" long when finished. I wonder what scale that will be? I see a lot a different shades of gray being used and a lot of dry brushing to get shadowing effects.

Too bad no one is currently making the pods in any scale.

Gilbert

Ah, Discovery, probably my favorite SF spacecraft. I've read various lengths for it, but I think 140 meters is close. If you watch carefully during EVA scenes where you get a sense of scale compared to the astronaut then 140m seems believable. I have a model that's about 14-inches with great detail, but I've always wanted a larger one.

cspg

There are quite a number of model kits (diecast) that I would love to have, starting with the "Eagles" from Space 1999 (I used to have one) and others from French comics, and especially this one, which is finally coming out in English, although it is the first in the series, published back in the mid-70s.

Spaceships by the author are just mind blowing and if I did develop an interest in space, it's because of him (he drew the supersonic plane in Tintin's Flight 714 to Sydney.)

dogcrew5369

My favorite sci-fi spaceship as well. I'd love to have this model to build as well. I think I might would give it the dusty orange Io sulphur coated look from 2010... just to be unique.

BrianB

Federation Models offers a 1/72 Discovery at 4.5 feet long.

divemaster

I took a good look at the resin pieces today. Should be an interesting build.

Painting is going to be one of the hardest parts. I'm going to have to watch the DVD frame by frame. The Planet X version (which I'm assuming is in 1/288 scale) is cast in gray resin. I have a feeling that the entire model, once completed, will be coated in white primer followed by almost a dusting of light aircraft gray.

I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of dry brushing to make the details and the shadows stand out — and leave the antenna white. The movie almost makes the engines appear to be white, but we know that can't be, so back to metal for that one.

I'm looking forward to this particular build. Not for novice hands. I have to find my round files, too.

divemaster

I have to admit that I'm disappointed that there aren't any pods currently available. I wrote Atomic City Models to see if they have any intention of re-releasing the 1/12 scale version of it. It's price is steep at over $200 US, but it looks like a lot of fun. They even have a dead Frank Poole figurine in the same scale to put into the pods arms (another $75). But it looks like a great kit. Again, the color call outs are the big thing.

divemaster

I'm very happy to report that I got a note from Scott at Atomic City. He's going to cast a 1:12 Pod from 2001 for me since everyone is out of stock. It may take a bit of time, but he's doing it. Expensive, but it should be a nice model. I much prefer working with resin than anything else.

divemaster

The lighting for the Pod arrived today from VoodooFX that will light up both the interior and exterior of the pod. I am VERY impressed.

I took a further look at the their website and am amazed at some of the lighting effects that are available for the 1/350 Star Trek Enterprise and the 1/35 Lost in Space saucer.

I might just have to do some Sci-Fi models just to have some fun with the extras.

ilbasso

Lighting up kits is a blast. When I built the 1/350 Enterprise, I wanted to save money and do the lighting myself. I learned a lot, but I learned by making a LOT of mistakes. I wish I had spent the money to buy the lighting kit!

You've got me inspired now. I have a 1/12 2001 pod kit that's been sitting in my storage area for several years now because I've been hesitant to start it. I think it's time!!

divemaster

Scale modeling is something that I have never tired of doing. You think you outgrow it, but as soon as you sit down and start again, you wonder why you ever left it.

At the same time, whenever I think I'm getting crazy, I walk into a hobby shop that specializes in railroad cars, etc. Crazy doesn't even come into my vocabulary compared to the RR people... and you're talking major, major money. I was talking to one guy who has his entire back yard laid out with tracks held down by rebar. I just can't get doing something like that through my head at all.

ilbasso

When I bought my previous house 12 years ago, the basement was nearly completely filled with the largest Lionel train layout I've ever seen — mountains, lakes, engines with TV cameras built in and the associated TV monitors around the room, a full-size railroad crossing sign, full size track signal light, etc. The guy was moving to a smaller place and offered to just give me the train setup (without the extremely valuable trains, darn it) rather than dismantle it. Unfortunately, we needed the space and had to ask him to dispose of it.

Even though we didn't take the train layout, we were still paying for it over the years. He had 14 smoke detectors scattered around the basement, which I didn't know about until their batteries started dying a year or two later. And then when we got ready to sell the house, we discovered that he had done a "do it yourself" electrical wiring job in the basement, all of which had to be replaced (including the breaker box) to bring it up to code.

p51

quote:Originally posted by divemaster:At the same time, whenever I think I'm getting crazy, I walk into a hobby shop that specializes in railroad cars, etc. Crazy doesn't even come into my vocabulary compared to the RR people...

"Crazy" is relative. You don't think that model train people don't consider paying five figures for a possible Armstrong signature or hundreds of dollars for a patch set that is current being produced for a fraction of that cost (just to be the first to get a set) to be, well, bat poop crazy?

I'm into model trains as well as several other interests. I'd never loop one group of people into a certain thing as nuts as that'd be the height of hypocrisy. I once saw someone yell at some people walking to a sci-fi convention dressed as Star Trek Federation crewman that they should, “Get a life” when the person yelling it was painted from the waist up in two-tone paint for a NFL team that was playing nearby. To me, that makes about as much sense as what I’ve read at the tail end of this thread.

I can assure you that many of the same people that must be “nuts” for building model RR layouts do indeed sneer at the idea of building a model of something that never existed except as only a larger model. Some of these model train layouts are made with a degree of detail that’d rival anything you’d ever see in a museum or in a movie.

It’s all relative, folks. If you’re not into it, that’s fine. It’s a big world with plenty of different ways to have fun. But “crazy” is a word I’d try to avoid…

And I have several friends who collect both space and railroad artifacts. My grandfather was a station agent for the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad in the 1920's and 1930's, and I have his telegraph key.

Ronpur

I would rather be addicted to collecting than addicted to something like drugs!!

ilbasso

Dunno... sometimes I think drugs would be cheaper! And you get to "enjoy" them rather than keeping them in the original wrapping and holed up in safe storage!

divemaster

I think there's various degrees of "crazy", that's all. And, yes, all collectors of ANYTHING are guilty of it.

I have a Moebius Models 18" Jupiter 2 sitting on the shelf downstairs. I just finished watching just under a 200 segment YouTube video series by ModelBuilderTom where he's lighting the whole thing with LED's and fiber optics. I was SO impressed with what he did — and, damn, it looks good — that I found myself saying "I could do that, I think". Yes. Crazy. A $70 kit with probably $500 worth of lighting in it (plus time).

On another note, Glenn from RealSpace Models has said that my Skylab model has shipped, so that should be lots of fun. I also realize that I have (tucked away) the making for a 1/72 display of the U.S. manned launch vehicles from Mercury through the shuttle. The trick is how to display it nicely. I just have to do some serious repair work on the Gemini-Titan and eventually build the Shuttle Stack. I was also admiring some photos of various modelers complete collection of launch vehicles from all countries in 1/144. That's dedication.

divemaster

I'm not big on non real space models, but I have a special love for the models from "2001: A Space Odyssey." Considering that it was filmed in the 1960's when special effects were in its infancy, they all have me very impressed.

Two new models of the Aries IB out there, one from AJA Models with a $330 price tag without an interior. I don't know the scale, but it looks like it's about the size of a basketball. Make the interior and light it up and you'll have one helluva model.

Captain Cardboard at Atomic City is also coming out with an updated Aries IB in what I'm assuming is the same scale at $325. Again about 15" in diameter. Great size to work with if you want to super detail with lights, etc. All you need is money.

But for you 2001 fans out there, I just wanted to make you aware of these two outstanding models. Captain Cardboad (Scott Alexander) sold out of the 1/12 scale EVA Pod and is being kind enough to make one up special for me. It should be arriving any day and I can't wait.

While I'm a Star Trek Fan, I've never been a big fan of modeling their ships. My eyes caught the Polar Lights 1/350 1701 Enterprise from the movies with an insane lighting job and the Aztek decals for detailing. You're looking at months of work, but it will probably be well worth it.

Finally, I was hooked on YouTube by someone named ModelManTom who is doing the 1/35 Jupiter 2 from Lost in Space by Mobius Models. He's giving it the entire lighting treatment and then some. His current 195 video series (he's not done yet) just made me want to try to duplicate his efforts, so, I'm slowly filling my work bench with everything that I need.

The model was first. Then, very slowly, I've been ordering the after market parts in photo etch, some of the decals, the special lighting, 26 different paint colors, etc. It should make for an interesting build and really try my patience and my arthritic hands.

After a five year hiatus from scale modeling, I just want a major challenge. I have Real Space Model's new Skylab coming in, too. But I want to light up the Jupiter 2 and the EVA Pod.

Feel free to call me crazy. I'll be the first to agree with you. However, I'm not dropping the $330 on the Aries IB model. But if anyone wants to be my benefactor, I'll be more than happy to accept your check.

Maybe I should start up one of the Facebook donation pages! "Help Tracy build an Aries IB to see if he can still do it". Maybe I'll get $700K like the lady who was bullied on the school bus.

Wish me luck!

divemaster

With regards to "2001" models being sci-fi on a real space forum, of all of the movies out there, I consider 2001 to be more realistic than fantasy (such as Star Trek, Star Wars, or Lost in Space). Considering that the movie was shot before we even reached high earth orbit on Gemini 11, Kubrick did an excellent job on predicting the future.

With the exception of the big wheel space station, most of the spacecraft right up through the Aries IB and the Moon Bus are theoretically possible.

Right now, if we return to the moon or go to Mars, the staging area would be the ISS. That's awfully close to the Aries IB leaving the 2001 space station and going to the moon.

The Discovery One, well, who knows? Certainly not in my lifetime. But considering that these came from the minds of Clarke, von Braun and Kubrick, they're not too far off from the real deal. Just think where we'd be if NASA had an blank check like it did in the early 60's (when all of this was being story boarded).

And, for the record, I found out that the Captain Cardboard (Atomic City) version does come with an interior, while the AJA version doesn't. (By the way, the person who runs AJA works at MSFC in Huntsville and has access to von Braun's plans when they were planning the movie). Life imitating art?